11 Then Zofar (from Naamah) answered:

2 Shouldn’t these many words be answered?

Or is a man to be acquitted just by what comes from his lips.

3 Will your boasting make people silent?

Or will you mock and no one puts you to shame?

4 You’ve said, ‘My teaching is pure,

and I’m clean in your sight.’

5 But who will allow God to speak

and to open his lips against you

6 and to tell you the secrets of wisdom?

True wisdom has DOUBLE

God will forget some of your offenses for you.

7 Will you find the deep things of God?

Will you discover the limits of the provider?

8 What can you do to the height of the sky?

What do you know that’s deeper than the grave?

9 It measures longer than the land,

and wider than the ocean.

10 If he comes past and imprisons you and convenes a hearing,

who can prevent him?

11 He recognises people who are deceitful.

He sees wickedness but doesn’t reveal that he’s paying attention.

12 Even a hollow person will gain understanding.

A wild donkey’s colt will give birth to a man.

13 If you’ve directed your heart

and stretched your arms out to him,

14 and put wickedness far away from yourself

and didn’t let injustice live in your home,

15 then you can raise your head without shame

and be firmly establishing without fear.

16 You will forget trouble—

remembering it only like water that’s flowed past.

17 Your life will rise brighter than the midday sun.

Darkness will become like morning.

18 You’ll be confident that there’s hope.

You’ll look around then safely lie down.

19 You’ll lie down without being terrified.

Many people will be after your favour.

20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail

and the way of escape will be invisible to them.

Their hope will be limited to their last gasp of life.